Google Zeitgeist attendees receive free Google TV

The lucky 600 or so attendees of this year's Google Zeitgeist apparently received a surprise none of them were expecting. We have in the past seen Google give out various items at their events, but this one was rather unexpected, a Google TV unit. Not only did they receive the Google TV but it appeared to be part of a package with a Sony Bravia as well as Dish TV and included a complimentary Best Buy installation of it all. Quite a package to receive as a gift for attending the conference, Google seems to up the bar each time! [via All Things Digital]

Samsung Galaxy Tab all but official on Verizon

You know that event in New York City that Samsung has scheduled for Thursday night? It's looking more and more like we'll see the Verizon version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab (check out our hands-on) there, along with Samsung's Media Hub service. Screen shots are leaking out (Looks like BGR got this one, too) showing the Galaxy Tab being announced Thursday, and being available "just weeks away.". From the original announcement in Berlin, we know that it will be on feature loaded device with the following, and maybe even more.

Be sure to join us on Thursday evening as we hit up the event and check out what Samsung has to offer.

Update: We have another shot after the break to check out, that sums it all up nicely. Hurry, Thursday!

Google begins testing paid Market apps in India

Word comes from the world's largest democracy that a select few users are beginning to finally see paid applications in the Android Market (the above picture is from an Indian HTC Wildfire). Google appears to be merely testing at this point, so there is no word on when all Android users across India will be able to spend their hard-eared cash for games, utilities, and the like. This should help app developers as a whole, massive new market is going to be thirsty for quality apps as well as incentivise Indian devs to develop for the Android platform.

It is easy to forget that paid apps in the Android Market aren't yet in every nation where Android phones are sold. In fact, outside of the United States and western Europe, Japan is the only other nation where users can buy paid apps officially. It is good to see Google working to add more nations to this list, but for those still waiting, we are sure paid app support can not come soon enough. [androidos.in] Thanks to chandan for the tip!

Worldmate travel app comes out of beta

We took a look at the Worldmate travel app for back when it was in beta, and as of today's, it's bona fide and in the Android Market. In a nutshell, you sign up for Worldmate's free service, then forward your airline or hotel confirmation to Worldmate, which parses the info and shoots it to the app on your phone for some mighty fine organization. The Worldmate app also lets you book hotel room straight from the app, if you're in to that sort of thing. It also sports weather forecasts, a handy currency converter and travel notifications.

UMA support may not be coming to Android, T-Mobile says

T-Mobile, which has been known to support UMA in some of its phones, which stands for Unlicensed Mobile Access, may be backing off, keeping the list of supported devices to a select few. UMA allows users to make calls and send text messages over Wi-Fi, which makes overseas travel much easier. UMA has been supported on BlackBerry devices, but has not yet made it to Android.

And it may not be coming to Android, at least anytime soon. Om Malik of GigaOm asked a T-Mobile representative about UMA being available for Android. The rep replied by stating that T-Mobile will continue to support four models: three BlackBerry devices and the Nokia E7.

This may not be good news for Android users, who would love to have access to this technology. Of course with texts you can use Google Voice over Wi-Fi, but we're still waiting for the ability to make calls. [GigaOm]

And we've got you Mac folks covered, too. Our main man Cory has whipped up video instructions for you, too, which you can peep after the break, and get the full Mac instructions here. Thanks, Cory and Dirrk, and a tip of the hat to Rootzwiki!

Android case review: Talon Hard Shell for the Droid X

So you want a case for the Droid X, but not something that's going to add any bulk or weight. This is a big phone, after all. The Talon hard-shell case for the Droid X may be just what you're looking for.

The case is a basic two-piece design. There's a small ring that fits on the front of the phone, and a more substantial piece for the back and the sides. There are cutouts for the microUSB and HDMI ports, two on the back for the speakerphone and noise-canceling microphone, and you have full access to the power and volume buttons, and the physical buttons on the front of the phone.

There's no real screen protection here other than with the extra spacing you get from the case, but that's enough to keep it and the camera lens from getting scratched if left face-down on a table or desk, and the hard plastic shell leaves little doubt that the phone should be protected from a short fall.

Best part? That you get plenty of protection with minimal bulk. After a few minutes, you barely notice that the case is on. It fits like a glove and is easily installed, but it doesn't feel like it could come apart without warning, which is important, too. The Talon hard-shell case for the Droid X comes in three colors and is available now in the Android Central Store for $14.95. More pictures after the break.

Android Quick App: Quick Settings

One thing I love about Android is the ability to quickly set up shortcuts to menus in your Settings or simply having a widget that you can toggle to change things. Quick Settings bests both of these methods by having nearly everything you might want to change on your phone just a notification bar icon away (its the gear looking one). 3G, WiFi and GPS are the things I most often change on my phone, so it is great to have quick access to them. You can either toggle them on or off with the button on the right, or jump into each's menu by tapping on its name to the left.

The other really useful feature is easy access to the various sound levels on the phone. Android doesn't use a one-sound-level-fits-all system, so if I want to turn down my alarm volume (or any other volume), Quick Settings gets the job done elegantly and quickly. You can even toggle between silent or vibrate settings. In addition, it shows free RAM and memory from your microSD card. It is available now for free on the Market. Click past the jump for another screen shot and the usual download links. Thanks to JP for the tip!

From the Forums: An Evo 4G theme-makers primer

For many of us, the best part of having an Android phone is the user customization it allows. It's odd then, that there is no easy method to change the theme on your phone like there is with other phones, ala BlackBerry. Hopefully, this is something that gets sorted out in future versions of Android, as Google has let it be known that a unified UI is on their agenda.

In the meantime, sprintgirl from the Android Central forums has worked up an excellent tutorial for those who are rooted and feel like being creative. While this particular lesson is based on the Sprint Evo 4G, the tools and general ideas are the same for all Android phones. Have a look and see if you can create the next masterpiece! [Android Central forums] Thanks sprintgirl!

ClockworkMOD Recovery now available for the Sprint Epic 4G

The folks over at SDX, our friendly neighborhood Samsung development group, have been busy ever since the Sprint Epic 4G was released a couple weeks ago. Rooting the phone proved to be an easy conquest. Configuring a recovery mode that allows the flashing of custom ROMs was another story. Through their trials and tribulations, noobnl and skeeterslint’s hard work has finally paid off, and and an Epic version of ClockworkMOD’s recovery is born. Not only will this allow for custom ROMs, it also lets users create and restore backups just in case their phone takes a turn for the worse. They even went as far as to make it “noob-proof” by setting up a one-click method that installs the recovery automatically without having to input any shell commands

The recovery works great, and the only tricky part is that the process requires the installation of the Android SDK (software developement kit), but nothing too fancy there. The only known bug at this time is that the system has trouble unmounting, but that should be cleared up sooner than later. Navigating around the menu can be a little tricky, and it's only fitting that the smiley face button the keyboard acts as the cursor. Be sure to check out our forums for step-by-step instructions on getting this set up. [via SDX]

LG launches Optimus One and Optimus Chic Android smartphones

LG this morning added a pair of Android 2.2 smartphones to its Optimus line, the Optimus One (P500) and Optimus Chic (E720).

The Optimus One (seen above at right) is a 3.2-inch touchscreen device (320x480) with a 3-megapixel camera, 600MHz processor and a 1500mAh battery. Get full specs of the Optimus One here.

The Optimus Chic also is a 3.2-inch Android 2.2 device with the same screen resolution, processor and a 1250mAh battery. Its design is a bit more clean, however, with capacitive buttons beneath the screen. It also has DLNA media streaming. Get full specs of the Optimus Chic here.

As for any U.S. releases? You know the story. We'll have to hope and pray the carriers pick up either of these phones (and manage to not do too much damage to them in the process). That said, LG expects the Optimus One to be available in 90 nations with 120 partners, in Europe in October, followed by Asia. The Optimus Chic will be available in Europe in November, with Asia to follow.

Android turning Terminator with the new Liquid Metal phone from Acer

Acer UK made an official statement about a new phone they have in the works called Liquid Metal. In the release they stated the phone is going to be released at the end of October with Froyo running the show and an 800MHz CPU and 512MB of onboard memory under the hood, along with a 3.6-inch touchscreen. From what we know at the moment, and to spare some from the confusion I had, this phone features a strictly standard, commercial, aluminum-metal case and not contain any material from Liquid Metal Technologies as the name suggests although that’s not to say that as October rolls around, that can’t change, but it's highly unlikely.[via Electricpig]

Motorola and T-Mobile teased that the new Motorola Defy would be featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show today, and sure enough, she gave one of the new mid-level smartphones to everyone in her audience (in addition to a trip to Australia). This isn't the first time she's one-upped the professional smartphone nerds; she also got the Sprint Evo 4G before everybody else. It's good to be Oprah.

No word if she's picking up the contract, too. (Yeah, we're downers like that.) Watch the video after the break, if you dare. Thanks to Android Armature.

Samsung Galaxy Tab peeks through leaked AT&T internal shots

We've already heard rumblings that the Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet (watch our hands-on) would be coming to AT&T (as well as Verizon and Sprint), and Engadget's gotten a leak pretty much confirming that. No word on when or for how much, and we assume it's going to mean yet another bill and not just be an add-on to an existing contract. But we've got our fingers crossed. There's also word that three more Android phones are to hit AT&T. Cross your fingers non-market apps will be allowed. [Engadget]

Google Buzz now lets you edit from phone

Good news for those of you who use Google Buzz (we know you're out there) and have have fat fingers. You can now edit your Buzz posts (erm, Buzzes) directly from your phone. Just tap on the post, then the >, and you have the option to edit the post. It's that easy. [Google]

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